Stella graduates today from Victoria University with a BCom majoring in Commercial Law and Public Policy.
In the last two years of her degree Stella worked part-time in a bank call centre where she met fellow foodie Jess Rolinson-Purchase and the two began discussing the idea of applying for My Kitchen Rules New Zealand (MKR NZ).
“Jess and I thought it would be an interesting experience, and whether we did well or not, it would be something we would learn from and hopefully have fun doing.”
To prepare for the show, the pair made a list of skills and recipes to practice, which they quickly discovered was an expensive task. Only a quarter of the list was ticked off in the month they had to prepare for MKR NZ, but Stella and Jess were willing to try anything on the programme and hope for the best.
They had a dramatic entrance on the show with Stella and Jess arriving as “Gatecrashers” in episode 11, much to the surprise of the other eight teams competing.
Stella admits “it seems slightly unfair that we got to swan on in after two teams had been eliminated. But we were just so grateful to be a part of the show, regardless of when we came into the competition.
“Most of the other contestants were happy to meet us and make new friends, but some were understandably bitter. They were effectively right back to the start of the competition when we came in.”
Stella had a bigger challenge than most contestants on the show. The dual demands of sitting her exams in Wellington and filming MKR NZ in Auckland was a recipe for a very hectic few weeks.
On a number of occasions Stella was caught in a mad rush between the two cities. “I sat one of my exams on a day in between filming a ‘people’s choice’ challenge and a cooking challenge at the MKR kitchen headquarters” Stella started the day at 6am for filming then dashed to a Wellington bound flight to sit her afternoon exam. She returned to Auckland that evening to be ready for another 6am start for a cooking challenge the following day.
Stella’s efforts paid off and she successfully passed all her exams.
Stella says MKR NZ was a great experience but she doesn’t see a career change in the near future.
“I have been fortunate enough to land an amazing full-time job with a bank in Wellington. I’m happy where I am in my life at the moment and will most likely continue on this path.”
To follow Stella’s MKR NZ journey check out her Facebook page.